7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles Book One
by The Universal Storyteller
Summary: This is my 1st story series set primarily in the "7th Heaven" Universe. Please read, review, & enjoy! 5 chapters now up. Am still hoping for more reviews to this story. The more I get, the faster I'll write. if at all possible!
1. Prologue: Charles Jackson's Prediction

Hello, any people who may read this, I'm The Universal Storyteller. This particular story here  
  
will be the first of many mainly "7th Heaven"-related stories from me, I hope, on fanfiction.net. I'll  
  
accept constructive criticisms, of course. But I won't accept any flames, especially with strong  
  
language with them. So if you happen to use strong language with me, your reviews will be ignored.   
  
Always, and completely, as a matter of fact. With this story of mine here, at least, this will be your only  
  
warning, if at all possible. And please don't bother ever asking me for any transgender, male-male,  
  
female-female, or hermaphroditic kinds of romantic, or so-called romantic, relationships relating to the  
  
applicable characters for this or any other stories of mine here on fanfiction.net. For such requests from  
  
my readers here will be always and completely ignored as well. For I don't ever personally believe in  
  
them for protagonists in my stories, at all.  
  
All characters that are definitely known to actually be part of the "7th Heaven" Universe are  
  
actually the property of their owner or owners, where applicable, of course. As are all the settings of  
  
this particular story and any related stories I may write at any time. All other characters and/or settings  
  
that are actually non-native to the "7th Heaven" Universe are actually of my own creation, unless  
  
otherwise stated. If they aren't actually of my own creation, they're actually the property and/or  
  
creation of their owner or owners, where applicable. So don't bother suing me now, for I've not  
  
actually claimed your characters and/or settings as mine here, if they're not actually of my own creation.   
  
Besides, I don't really have any money. So you actually wouldn't get anything from me in that way  
  
anyway. I'm a financially poor person, currently, if I won't always be. And so therefore, your chances  
  
of getting any money from me at this time, if ever, are very small indeed. Probably even microscopic, at  
  
the current time.  
  
All poems and/or songs in, at least, this story or series of stories are copyright to and/or of their  
  
respective writers, performers, or authors, and/or their owners, wherever possible, if I'm actually not  
  
their writer and/or owner as well. I claim nothing knowingly for my own, people, that I know isn't  
  
actually mine. Just like I'm doing for any other elements and characters that I mentioned in the previous  
  
paragraph here, I'm doing that here for all of the said poems and/or songs, in fact, people. So the  
  
exact same disclaimer applies to them as it does for anything else related to this story and/or its series,  
  
at least, if not any other story or stories of mine, people. That's whenever possible, of course.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles  
  
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe  
  
Prologue  
  
It was an early morning one day in Glen Oak, California, in 1979 or 1980, when the Reverend  
  
Eric Camden and his wife Annie brought their first son home from the hospital after his birth not too  
  
long before. The newborn baby boy's name was Matthew Camden. And he would be the first of  
  
many children for them both in their lives, but they didn't yet know that. When they brought him home  
  
for the first time, they were met at their front door by Eric and Annie's parents. Eric's parents were  
  
Major John Camden, United States Marine Corps, and Ruth Camden, while Annie's parents were  
  
Charles and Jenny Jackson. The elder Camdens lived in New York State, but they were in Glen Oak  
  
for the birth of Matthew. While Annie's parents lived in Arizona, they were there in Glen Oak, for the  
  
very same reason, of course.  
  
Reverend Eric Camden had been the pastor of his church for only a few years in the Glen Oak  
  
area of California. Annie had been his wife for about that long, if not longer, most likely.  
  
When Eric and Annie eventually opened their front door, with them carrying Matthew through  
  
it, they were met at it by all four of their parents, led by the Major, in fact. And after they had both  
  
brought Matthew, who'd often be called Matt in the future, into their house sufficiently well, Major  
  
Camden asked, "What did you two decide to call him, son?"  
  
"His name is Matthew, Dad."  
  
"I see. 'Gift of Jehovah', if I'm not too mistaken here."  
  
"Yes, that's what his name means, I think. We might have lost him, if Dr. Hastings had been  
  
any more careless. Or at least that's what Annie thinks right now."  
  
"Well, he's here now. And he looks like a good strong little man, right now, to me."  
  
"Dad, I really don't think he'll be a soldier someday, for some yet-unknown reason, here."  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see about it, then, I suppose."  
  
"I suppose you're right. But at least he's here now."  
  
Annie then said, "Mother, I'm glad to see you're here now."  
  
"Where else would I be, dear?"  
  
"I suppose you're right."  
  
Charles Jackson, a now-balding and moustached man about forty or fifty years old, most likely,  
  
said, "I'm going to make a prediction here. I predict that by the time he is twenty years old, he will  
  
have four more siblings, at the very least, if not more, in his life. At least three of them will be girls, if  
  
I'm not too mistaken here."  
  
His wife, who was a moderately-built brown-haired woman about his age, soon asked, "Are  
  
you sure about this here, Charles?"  
  
"Yes, Jen, I am. I had a dream last night, while we were sleeping in our hotel room, that such  
  
things might actually come to pass for our Annie and her husband Reverend Eric here. It will take time,  
  
of course. But I still have every belief in what I saw in my dream last night, just the same, Jen. I wasn't  
  
told his siblings' future names. But I did still see at least four more siblings for him, if not more,  
  
sometime in the future, with at least three of them being girls in his life."  
  
"And just how sure are you of this, Charles?" asked Mrs. Ruth Camden, Major Camden's wife  
  
of many long years, and many long stays overseas with her husband, whenever the need arose, and it  
  
was possible for her to do so at all. She'd been with her husband for at least a few years as his wife,  
  
before Eric had eventually been born somewhere in New York, during one of her husband's home  
  
leaves from Southeast Asia, in fact. Eric had a younger sister Julie, as well. She was at least a few  
  
years younger than Eric was, and she was now attending college at New York University  
  
"I'm very sure about it, in fact, Ruth. Very sure indeed. If I'm wrong, I'll buy your house."  
  
"I don't know if you could afford it, Dad. Either now or later."  
  
"I'm 100% sure that you'll have at least four more children within the next twenty years, Annie.   
  
I really don't know exactly why I am here. But I just know that I am that sure about you and Eric  
  
having at least that many more kids, Annie."  
  
"I see. Well, if God sees fit to grant them to us, then so be it, Dad. I really wish that the rest of  
  
us could be sure about that here as well, just the same."  
  
"Trust God to show us the future, in His own good time, Annie, and you'll not go wrong, if you  
  
stay on the path that He will show you, when the need arises for Him to do so in your life."  
  
As time passed, then, things did occur as Charles had earlier predicted. Matthew and his  
  
parents were first joined in their still-new family by a dark-haired baby girl named Mary, eventually. A  
  
second girl named Lucille, who'd often be called Lucy in her life, followed not more than a year or two  
  
after Mary's own birth. Several years later, at most, then, a blonde boy named Simon joined the  
  
growing Camden family. And Ruthie Camden finally came into the world several years after Simon did.   
  
Thereby fulfilling her Grandfather Jackson's earlier prediction, of course. By the time that Matt was  
  
seventeen years old, Ruthie was then four or so years old, more or less, in fact. But little did anyone  
  
yet know that Ruthie wasn't actually going to be the last of the Camdens there'd be in the family, as a  
  
matter of fact, for all the obvious reasons, of course.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take  
  
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you  
  
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this  
  
story, after the above prologue, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere around  
  
1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be more  
  
familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll depend a  
  
lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for all the  
  
obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of mine as  
  
well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as well as  
  
have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a lot.   
  
And it may or may not actually tie in with other stories of mine that might feature its main characters, at  
  
least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The Universal Storyteller"  
  
signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all possible, please do read,  
  
review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out! 


	2. Chapter One: Some New People In Town

All characters that are definitely known to actually be part of the "7th Heaven" Universe are  
  
actually the property of their owner or owners, where applicable, of course. As are all the settings of  
  
this particular story and any related stories I may write at any time. All other characters and/or settings  
  
that are actually non-native to the "7th Heaven" Universe are actually of my own creation, unless  
  
otherwise stated. If they aren't actually of my own creation, they're actually the property and/or  
  
creation of their owner or owners, where applicable. So don't bother suing me now, for I've not  
  
actually claimed your characters and/or settings as mine here, if they're not actually of my own creation.   
  
Besides, I don't really have any money. So you actually wouldn't get anything from me in that way  
  
anyway. I'm a financially poor person, currently, if I won't always be. And so therefore, your chances  
  
of getting any money from me at this time, if ever, are very small indeed. Probably even microscopic, at  
  
the current time.  
  
All poems and/or songs in, at least, this story or series of stories are copyright to and/or of their  
  
respective writers, performers, or authors, and/or their owners, wherever possible, if I'm actually not  
  
their writer and/or owner as well. I claim nothing knowingly for my own, people, that I know isn't  
  
actually mine. Just like I'm doing for any other elements and characters that I mentioned in the previous  
  
paragraph here, I'm doing that here for all of the said poems and/or songs, in fact, people. So the  
  
exact same disclaimer applies to them as it does for anything else related to this story and/or its series,  
  
at least, if not any other story or stories of mine, people. That's whenever possible, of course.  
  
To Elmtree723: I am not familiar enough with Carlos, Andrew Naylos, or Cecilia yet. I have  
  
followed the show that this story, and any sufficiently-related series to it, is, and will be, at least partly,  
  
based on, for at least a few years, if not longer. I am also quite aware that in more recent seasons,  
  
Simon has had a close relationship with Cecilia, at least as of the end of the seventh season, if not even  
  
longer than that. I have also visited the WB's website that has it mentioned quite prominently. And I  
  
am aware of there being a marriage between Mary and Carlos. Though I don't really know all that  
  
much about him at all. As for your suggestion of Lucy and Andrew Naylos possibly having a romantic  
  
relationship of some sort, I really don't know much about the latter, I believe. Perhaps if you would  
  
enlighten me later on, I might investigate the possibility of those two ending up together, eventually. But  
  
I don't think I have seen any episodes where he might have made an appearance. I like Sarah, though,  
  
for Matt. I have an idea of a possible boyfriend or two for Ruthie, though you might have to read "The  
  
Inverness Chronicles" by me to get an idea of possible suitors in that story series for her. Simon, I  
  
think, would be best with Deanna. Though that is still to be decided by me here, I think. Remember,  
  
we may be talking at least a little AU, AT, and/or AR here, Elmtree723.  
  
To AmoebaJones: Yes, I am quite aware, from following the series for at least a while, that  
  
Reverend Eric Camden's father is now, or retired as, a full Colonel in the United States Marine Corps,  
  
according to the known history of the character. That is most certainly a rather valid point here, in your  
  
favor. But please still do try to remember the date or dates mentioned at the very beginning of the  
  
story, AmoebaJones. I said in the very first sentence of the story here that it was one day in 1979 or  
  
1980 when Eric and Annie brought Matt home for the first time. At that particular time, I think it highly  
  
conceivable that Eric's father John could very well have been a Major in the USMC, and not actually a  
  
full Colonel in it. I think it even quite possible, given the fact that we don't evidently know the exact  
  
date of his promotion to the rank of full Colonel in the USMC, that John Camden might have even been  
  
a Major at that time in his life. What if, for instance, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel after, say,  
  
some action in Grenada or some other major world trouble spot anytime within the next five or ten  
  
years after Matt's birth? And then by the time that he retired, or by the time that the main story will  
  
begin here, he'd have eventually been promoted to the rank of a full Colonel in the United States  
  
Marine Corps? That would then agree with the definitely better-known history about the Colonel. I  
  
now seem to remember him talking with Lucy during a certain episode where she was having trouble  
  
with her history homework, and they actually were in the kitchen at least once during that episode  
  
together. He mentioned Grenada during that particular episode, if I remember correctly. And the way  
  
that he said it, at least the first time I saw him do so, I think, it seemed to suggest to me, at least, that he  
  
actually had more personal knowledge of that place than the average Marine Corps member might have  
  
been able to have at that time. What if he was somehow actually part of such an invasion force, in  
  
some hypothetical, if not a real, timeline, after Reagan sent in the troops there? If that might have been  
  
true for him, at least hypothetically, if not in actual reality, I think it'd have been entirely plausible for him  
  
to mention Grenada in such a manner as he'd done then with Lucy, while they were both in the kitchen  
  
making some meal and working together with her history homework. Don't you agree?  
  
To N1m2nd, if I get your user name correctly enough here, in fact: I promise that there will be  
  
more on the way whenever possible, and when the mood strikes me to write more to this story, or to  
  
any other sufficiently-related ones to it. I don't know exactly how long this particular story will be, in  
  
fact. But I hope to make it at least a dozen or so chapters, if not more than that, if at all possible.  
  
To Josie21612: There will be more later, of course. But if I remember correctly enough,  
  
Wilson doesn't make an appearance as a major character with his son for at least the first few seasons  
  
of the series. And they don't really start to have such a relationship with each other, if I'm not too  
  
mistaken, before Mary gets in trouble for trashing the Glen Oak High School gym, and ends up in  
  
Buffalo with or near the Colonel and his wife Ruth. I could eventually go that route with them in this  
  
story and its eventual series, I think But I might want to see the necessary episodes more in order to  
  
better be able to decide one way or the other. I might even pair her up with some character nobody  
  
even knows of yet from one or more of my original series. Or other fan fiction series of mine, whether  
  
they're currently on fanfiction.net yet or not, in fact. Remember, this is only the beginning of the story.   
  
So there is a lot that is yet to be decided for it and its storyline or storylines, as you might logically  
  
enough expect here, Josie21612. I will, of course, consider all that you have said here, just the same.  
  
And I thank you all for making sufficiently clean, courteous, and appropriate reviews of my  
  
story here, so far. Now, before I get too long-winded here with my responses to your comments, I  
  
think I'd better get on with the story here, for the obvious enough reasons. Now back to the story, and  
  
you know what to do, I'm quite sure, everyone.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles  
  
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe  
  
Chapter One  
  
It was now August 29, 1996, and Matt Camden was just chilling out with one of his best  
  
friends, if not his very best friend, at the Glen Oak Pool Hall. This friend of his was John Hamilton, a  
  
young, tall, and a little stocky, black man about his age, in fact. They were going to be high school  
  
sophomores or juniors at Glen Oak High School, as of the day after Labor Day 1996, in actual reality.   
  
Matt was sitting near John, as John was playing 8-Ball Pool with another young man with moderately  
  
tanned skin, watching John and this young man play pool with each other. He was doing this with a  
  
plastic glass filled with cola being in his left hand, as well.  
  
Matt Camden currently had on a mostly maroon T-shirt with white text on it. The T-shirt said,  
  
on its front "Property of Glen Oak High School", in fact. And it also had the size "XL" on its front, just  
  
above a two-holed horizontal pocket that was in the abdominal area of the shirt. He was also wearing  
  
a pair of black leather jeans that were at least a little similar to the jeans motorcyclists were often  
  
known to wear at times. These jeans, though, were for the most part, rather plain, except where the  
  
built-in buckle was present, and at the very bottom of them on their legs' outsides, where there were  
  
zippers that ran up to just a few inches above their cuffs there. Under the jeans' zippered cuffs, then,  
  
there were a pair of mostly black cowboy boots with hints of embroidered wildcats on their outsides  
  
showing, wherever possible. The toes of the boots were slightly rounded, but they were, for the most  
  
part, still quite square, in fact. A mostly maroon jacket of his was now hanging near the main entrance  
  
of the Pool Hall, as well, where he'd left it upon his and John's arrival at the Pool Hall. His wallet was  
  
in his jeans' front left pocket, in actual reality.  
  
As for John Hamilton, he was wearing a mostly light blue button-down shirt over a plain deep  
  
purple Hanes T-shirt, as he leaned over to make his next shot at the pool table here. He was also  
  
wearing a pair of Levis 501 dark blue jeans with the regular cut to them in the appropriate size for  
  
himself currently. The button-down shirt was long-sleeved, and it was also now fully unbuttoned, in  
  
fact. A Timex analog watch was on his left wrist, and it was a rather plain-appearing, yet quite  
  
utilitarian one, as well. It appeared plain, at least for the most part, anyway. But actually, it had some  
  
hidden features that most people, if not anyone else besides him or other members of his family, didn't  
  
actually know about. What those particular hidden features were exactly, not many people actually  
  
knew yet, if they ever would. In fact, there might even be some hidden features that he didn't yet know  
  
of yet for it, if he'd ever know of them, in his life, at least, if not other people's lives as well.  
  
His current opponent was a half-Mexican, half-Asian young man who was now apparently  
  
about John and Matt's age. And he and his family had just moved into the Glen Oak area from the San  
  
Francisco area of California, in actual reality. He and his family had met John and Matt at services  
  
conducted by Reverends Eric Camden and Morgan Hamilton, not long after they'd moved to the area  
  
from the San Francisco area. He had tanned skin like his father, and almond-shaped eyes like his  
  
mother. His eyebrows were rather bushy, but he had no signs at all of any facial hair whatsoever. He  
  
was about 5'11" and about 150 pounds, with just a little bit of an athletic build to him. And he now  
  
wore a pair of glasses that could change the darkness of their lenses, depending on the sufficiently-  
  
nearby available light. In his left earlobe, he wore a single red, silver, and black bear claw-shaped stud  
  
earring. Around his neck, there was also a rather plain gold necklace showing partly from under his  
  
silver and black T-shirt, and two points of an attached gold and silver crescent moon peeked out from  
  
under its collar. The points were pointing at his slightly rounded chin, as he now leaned slightly forward  
  
over a nearby chair, and also somewhat loosely held his pool stick in his left hand about halfway down  
  
its shaft. Over his T-shirt, he also had a crimson and black school-style jacket with the logo of his  
  
previous high school on its back. On the front left upper pocket of the jacket's outside, his name was  
  
present. That name, in fact, was "Julio Mamoru Enrique Suzuki", in appropriately-sized letters, of  
  
course. And just under his full name there, his most common nickname "Juggler" was also present, in  
  
fact. For he often liked to juggle in his life, whenever possible. His jeans were similar ones to John's.   
  
But instead of them being Levis like John's were, they were Wranglers in a more appropriate size for  
  
himself, and with a more stylish cut to them than John's were. Also, he'd decorated them with various  
  
circus-related designs, wherever possible, on their stonewashed denim, just to show more of his  
  
personality with them. Under them, and not covered by them, he also wore a pair of low-cut  
  
basketball-style sneakers, of some Converse-related variety, that were mostly black and silver in their  
  
nature, whenever possible.  
  
John shot at a three-ball grouping of solids, and sank two of them on his next shot here. But he  
  
failed to sink more of his four remaining balls after that shot of his. So it became Julio's turn here, of  
  
course. Julio said, "That was a good try there, John. But I think this game is mine, seeing as I count  
  
only two of my balls and the 8-Ball remaining on the table in positions quite favorable to me here. You  
  
have four balls near each other or the rails where they might not easily be able to be pocketed. You're  
  
quite good, I'll admit, here. But I really don't think that you'll win this game here."  
  
"We'll see, Julio. As long as the 8-Ball is still up here, I still have a chance to win this game  
  
here, of course."  
  
"True enough," said Julio, as he pocketed his 13-Ball here, and hoped that he'd be able to take  
  
down the 14-Ball on the next shot. His shot pocketed the 13, and came within a few inches of doing  
  
the same for the 14. But he left the 14 about two inches or so away from the nearest side pocket, and  
  
about six inches away from where the 8 still sat on the table. The 8 was now essentially quite blocked  
  
by the 1 and 5 Balls in a rather small triangle near the left foot corner pocket. While John's 2 and 6  
  
Balls were near the other corner pocket on that end of the table. Julio applied a mainly follow stroke  
  
with a bit of left English. And that then allowed him to sink the 14 easily enough to get into a good  
  
enough position to sink the 8-Ball and win the game here, in fact.  
  
"This next shot should win the game for me, I think, John."  
  
"Take it, then, please."  
  
Julio did so. And he was right, in his belief here. He then said, "As per our earlier agreement,  
  
then, you're to help me get sufficiently acquainted with the girls around here as much as possible, for at  
  
least the next week or two, once we start school here."  
  
"As agreed, I will do so, to the best of my ability to do so, Julio."  
  
"Thank you, John. Now I think I'd better go find my sisters Anita and Carlota around here, for  
  
we have other things that we all have to do around here for a while."  
  
"Take care, then, Julio."  
  
Julio then set his pool stick down on the appropriate table here, and briefly nodded at and  
  
shook hands with John, just before he walked over to another part of the Pool Hall to collect his twin  
  
dark-haired sisters Anita and Carlota. They were conversing with each other when he came up to  
  
them. No more than just a few minutes later, all three of them had left the Pool Hall again, in fact.  
  
After Julio, Anita, and Carlota left the Pool Hall, John eventually asked, "Matt, do you think  
  
that Julio will fit in well at our school?"   
  
"I really don't know, John. Of course, I really hope so."  
  
"You think the jocks will like the Suzukis well enough here?"  
  
"I really don't know. These three Suzukis don't seem to be much the sporting type, at least in  
  
terms of joining any school teams, that is."  
  
"Anita had some winged feet on her jacket, I think."  
  
"She may be the most athletically-inclined of them, then, John. Carlota seemed like the kind of  
  
girl who was quite the book-wormish type to me when I met her earlier. She had a lot of books in her  
  
arms when we met before one of my dad's services a few weeks, at most, back, I think."  
  
"And what of Julio, Matt?"  
  
"Fun-loving guy, from my first impressions of him, with a bit of a mysterious air to him. Like he  
  
might be more than he seems to be in his life. And that he might somehow actually know more than he  
  
currently realizes about a lot of things and other people in it."  
  
As Matt then finished his cola, John then asked, "What are your plans for the rest of the day  
  
here?"  
  
"I thought going out with Heather for a while on the Promenade would be a good idea. We  
  
were thinking about spending some time with each other there for a while. It's been most of the  
  
summer since we've been able to spend a significant period of time with each other for more than an  
  
hour or two at a time."  
  
"Where was she most of the summer?"  
  
"With friends of hers in Washington, in fact. She was visiting them, and checking out a few  
  
college possibilities at the same time, there. She was thinking about going to Gallaudet University when  
  
she graduates from here, John. Though I don't know yet if she'll go there."  
  
"I see. And what about your future plans for your life?"  
  
"I don't know yet," said Matt, as he put some money down on the counter in front of him.   
  
Then he and John soon left the Pool Hall together for elsewhere in the area. Matt dropped off John at  
  
the Hamiltons' residence in Glen Oak, and then went home.  
  
When he got home, his younger sisters Lucy and Mary handed him his mail. Among the pieces  
  
of mail that he received was a letter from a friend of his from several years before. This friend of his  
  
had often gone to summer camp in the Glen Oak area with him several years before. And they'd kept  
  
in touch ever since. Even after this friend had moved to Pennsylvania with his family a year or two later,  
  
Matt had remained in regular enough contact with him. When Lucy and Mary handed him his mail, he  
  
thanked them both, and then took his mail to his room to read it for a while.  
  
Eventually, he learned that this friend of his and his friend's family were going to be moving  
  
back to the Glen Oak area, after several years away from it. And that pleased him, for it had been  
  
quite a while since Matt had seen his childhood friend Travis Collins. They had been really good  
  
friends with each other since shortly after Lucy had been born to Eric and Annie in Glen Oak, in fact.   
  
And it had been four or five years since Matt had last been able to see Travis in person, actually.  
  
After he finished reading his mail, he soon left his room with a great big smile on his face. He  
  
then headed to the kitchen area, encountering his mother Annie on the way. When she saw that he was  
  
apparently very happy, she then asked, "You look really happy right now. What's got you that way,  
  
Matt, if I may ask?"  
  
"You remember Travis Collins from summer camp several years back?" When she nodded, he  
  
then said, "He and his family is moving back here, in fact, Mom. It's been a while since he was last  
  
here in the Glen Oak area for a long enough period of time."  
  
"And how soon do they expect to arrive here?"  
  
"They're going to be flying here tomorrow, and they're having their things shipped to their old  
  
house. It seems that Mr. Collins got reassigned here by his employer, due to various retirements of  
  
company personnel. And he was able to buy back his family's old house for what he'd sold it for, as  
  
well. Travis hopes to be back here by sometime on Sunday, at the very latest, if at all possible."  
  
Annie and Matt conversed with each other for a few more brief moments, before Matt asked,  
  
"Mother, who are you leaning toward for the Presidential race this year?"  
  
"I think I'll be going for Dole-Kemp over Gore-Inouye and Perot-Stockdale this year. Though  
  
I haven't decided one way or the other yet. Both of the two major parties seem to be tough to decide  
  
between this year. I think it's going to be a closer-than-normal election this year because Perot and  
  
Stockdale seem to be stronger than they were last time around, at least in terms of current popular  
  
support for them both, anyway. They earned 19.2% of the vote last time around against the  
  
Republicans and the Democrats. The Republicans took 42.2% of the popular vote last time, and they  
  
earned 313 electoral votes. The Democrats took 38.6% of the popular vote, and earned 193 electoral  
  
votes. Which, of course, then left Perot and Stockdale to take the remaining 19.2% of the popular  
  
vote, and the last 32 electoral votes. President Reagan in his fifth straight successful Presidential  
  
election got almost 47.4 million votes paired with Illinois's Charles Percy, last time around. Governor  
  
Clinton of Arkansas ran with Al Gore, and the Democrats took just over 43.4 million votes for  
  
themselves. Perot and Stockdale took almost 21.6 million votes for the Independents in the last  
  
election, if I remember correctly enough here."  
  
. "I see. And just how well do you think that Dole and Kemp will do this year?"  
  
"I'd expect them to get no more than about 40% or so, Matt. Gore and Inouye could make it  
  
a very close race, especially if Perot and Stockdale mess up enough to open the door for them to do  
  
so. But I don't think that they will, just the same."  
  
Then Annie let Matt move again toward the kitchen, and reminded him that she didn't want him  
  
to get into the cookies that she'd earlier made for the back-to-school party that Lucy and Mary were  
  
planning to have with a number of their closest friends. Matt promised that he'd not get into them, and  
  
then he parted from his mother again.  
  
When he got there, his youngest sister Ruthie was playing with a few of her toys near the  
  
kitchen's main counter area. She soon saw him, and he asked her, with a wide grin on his face, "How  
  
are you today, you little munchkin?"  
  
"Fine, Matt. What's cooking in that head of yours, so to speak?"  
  
"I'm happy, that's what, kiddo."  
  
"Why's that?"  
  
"My friend Travis is coming back in order to live around here again."  
  
"I don't remember someone by that name, Matt. Who is he?"  
  
"He's one of my friends from quite a while ago, in fact, Ruthie."  
  
"How long ago, if I may ask?"  
  
"Since shortly after Lucy came to be born here, munchkin."  
  
"I see. And is he as good a friend of yours as John is?"  
  
"No, of course not. We've not seen each other in person for about as long as you yourself  
  
have been alive, in fact, if I remember correctly enough here."  
  
"And how did you meet him?"   
  
"We met in a playground near the church, and we've been friends ever since, in fact."  
  
As Matt then opened the refrigerator, Ruthie asked, "Have you known him about as long as  
  
Heather, most likely, Matt?"  
  
Matt glanced at her for a brief moment, just before reaching for some Italian bread, some sliced  
  
ham, and some holed cheddar cheese slices. And he soon answered, "As a matter of fact, yes. We  
  
met him when a few other kids were picking on him a bit, Ruthie. We soon made them leave him  
  
alone, and ever since, we've been quite close to each other. When Travis moved away, he asked me  
  
to keep as close an eye on Heather as possible, whenever possible. And ever since, I've done that to  
  
the best of my ability to do so. He never actually was interested in her romantically, I believe, though,  
  
Ruthie. Unlike me, of course. I'm quite sure that you and everyone else around here knows now that  
  
I'm still very interested in her as a potential romantic mate for the rest of my life, in fact."  
  
"But don't you think that it might be very hard to stay together past your eventual graduations  
  
from high school here, Matt? Remember, she's at least hearing-impaired, if not totally deaf. That, in  
  
itself, can make relationships between hearing and hearing-limited or non-hearing people quite a bit  
  
more difficult to maintain easily enough, I think. You know I'm right about such things here, of course."  
  
"Let me ask you this, then, if I may." Matt made a sandwich or two here, and then nuked them  
  
both in the nearby microwave.  
  
"Go ahead and ask your question, then, Matt."  
  
"Do you or do you not think that there is a conceivable enough future where we might  
  
eventually marry and spend the rest of our lives together, if at all possible, Ruthie?"  
  
"I suppose that there might be, of course. But if so, I really don't see it at the current time, at  
  
least, if I ever will. Instead, I have this rather strange feeling that your future lifemate is still somewhere  
  
out there. And if so, I really don't know exactly who she might just be yet, Matt. This feeling of mine  
  
here seems to suggest that she might very well have dark hair, at least. But not much more, if anything  
  
at all. And as far as I know right now, Heather doesn't currently have dark hair in her life."  
  
Eventually, Ruthie left the kitchen, and she went to the room that she now shared with Simon in  
  
the Camden family's residence. Matt soon finished his sandwich or sandwiches, and then he put his  
  
dirty dish in the nearest sink. This he did, for the obvious reasons, of course, before he too left the  
  
kitchen again. He soon was in the Camdens' station wagon, and driving toward the Promenade for his  
  
planned meeting with Heather, in fact. He hoped to return home by the time the Camdens had supper  
  
that evening. But he really didn't know just how long things might go for him and Heather then and  
  
there, for the obvious reasons. For he couldn't currently see the future, of course, in his own life, if  
  
he'd ever be able to do so in it.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
Yes, readers, I know that there's actually a two-term limit for real Presidents of the United  
  
States now. But in this story series, at least, things may not necessarily be as they actually are in our  
  
own world. In this story and its related timeline, at least, there are no term limits for most political  
  
personages that might be mentioned in it, unless otherwise stated by me in it and its related series.   
  
Whether said personages are real or fictional, there are no term limits for such personages, unless  
  
otherwise stated, in this story and its related series. Other differences in this story's Universe and that  
  
of the real one that we're more familiar with, at least as it pertains to "7th Heaven", if not also the  
  
Universes of any other series of any conceivable enough kind, will be noted if and whenever necessary  
  
and/or possible, readers. So please bear with me, if things aren't quite as they've been in our current  
  
world, and are now. You might like some of the differences in the applicable timelines, I think, readers.   
  
Or you might not. Only time will tell, of course, whether or not you actually do so here.  
  
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take  
  
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you  
  
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this  
  
story, after the above Chapter One, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere  
  
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be  
  
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll  
  
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for  
  
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of  
  
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as  
  
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a  
  
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its  
  
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The  
  
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all  
  
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out! 


	3. Chapter Two: Strange Promenade Meeting

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in  
  
fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without further ado, back to the story. And I hope that you'll all enjoy it, of course.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles  
  
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Some time later, then, Matt met Heather on the Promenade, as earlier planned. Heather  
  
graced him with a smile when he appeared easily enough to her there, from out of a slowly-thickening  
  
crowd of people. It was now approaching 5:30 pm, in fact. And when he appeared in her field of  
  
vision, she was reading on a bench there. She was sitting on a bench in front of a bookstore, in actual  
  
reality. The book she was now reading was a novel by a just-starting-out foreign author, and it had  
  
recently been translated into English from that author's main language. The language that the foreign  
  
author had written this novel in was called "Slaabinese". And the author was from a nation that was  
  
normally invisible to most people in the world, in fact. As if the author's nation was actually cloaked, as  
  
a matter of fact, or as if it was normally hidden by some other yet-unknown condition or conditions. Or  
  
as if it might not even be there, in actual reality. This author's nation was called "Slaabovia". And  
  
whether or not it actually existed on this Earth, if not other Earths as well, his story was still in existence  
  
here, no matter what, obviously enough, due to the fact that Heather was now holding a copy of it in  
  
her hands here.  
  
When Matt arrived at the bench she was now sitting on, Heather soon signed to him, "Hello,  
  
Matt. I trust your time with John went well today."  
  
"Well enough, Heather. It's good to see you again, as well." Matt signed this as well.  
  
"I'm reading the most interesting science-fiction novel here, by someone I haven't heard of yet  
  
well enough." He sat down a few seconds later on her current bench on the Promenade, as she then  
  
showed him the cover of her book here.  
  
"I see. I don't recognize his name, either. Nor do I know of a language called 'Slaabinese',  
  
Heather."  
  
"It seems to be the main language of his nation. A nation called Slaabovia, in fact."  
  
"Never heard of it, as well."  
  
"Well, evidently, his nation is normally quite invisible to people in our world, Matt."  
  
"I see. And does he say exactly where his nation is in the world?"  
  
"From what I can tell, his nation is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Though  
  
where exactly, I really have no idea."  
  
"What other languages are often enough spoken in his nation?"  
  
"Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hebrew, Portuguese, and Spanish, I think,  
  
Matt. Though Latin is apparently spoken as well, at some times, if not also any other languages besides  
  
the ones that I've just mentioned here." She reached into a mostly tan purse sitting next to her on her  
  
left side as she sat on the bench. She then took out a small spiral-bound notebook with a mostly navy  
  
blue front cover, as well as a pen to write with on it. She then put the pen on her right ear and kept the  
  
pad of paper in her left hand.  
  
"Would you like an ice cream cone, Heather?"  
  
"That's fine, Matt, if you'd like to get me one here. But you don't have to." She signed this  
  
with her hands, as needed, of course, even with the pad being in her left hand here and now.  
  
"Do you have a preference right now?"  
  
"Two scoops, with one being Cookies and Cream, and the other being Mint Chocolate, then, if  
  
you really want to get me a cone," wrote out Heather now, rather neatly, on the pad of paper she'd just  
  
withdrawn from the purse next to her on the bench.  
  
"Fine," signed and mouthed Matt, and then he got up from where he'd been sitting next to her  
  
on their current bench. As he did so, she graced him with another smile, in fact.  
  
He went to the nearest ice cream stand elsewhere on the Promenade, and he purchased a pair  
  
of ice cream cones. One for himself, and one for her, of course. His was a double-scoop cone as well,  
  
and it had scoops of vanilla and raspberry ice cream on it, in fact.  
  
On the way back, he nearly collided with several other people who were running as quickly as  
  
they could through the crowd on the Promenade, as if they were racing from one part of Glen Oak to  
  
another, at that time of day. Several of them were dressed rather similar in mostly cardinal red and  
  
navy blue track-style uniforms or sweats, in fact. And they all had the word "Slaabovia" on those  
  
uniforms or sweats, in actual reality. They were led by a middle-aged cross-country track coach on  
  
their run through various areas of Glen Oak, as well.  
  
When he nearly collided with them, he heard a few of them say in Slaabinese to him here,  
  
"Halogia galibari, emibove," which might quite possibly translate into English as "Please excuse us here,  
  
young man." That was if what they'd said could accurately enough then be translated into English here,  
  
of course.  
  
He, quite naturally, didn't understand what they'd just said to him. But maybe someday, if he  
  
got to know enough of them well enough in his life, he might eventually know what they'd just said to  
  
him here, of course.  
  
Little did he know that all these runners would be starting school as well in a few days or so at  
  
Glen Oak High School. But eventually, he'd learn that well enough, as a matter of fact. And that they  
  
were actually all children of some Slaabovian diplomatic personnel at the new Slaabovian Consulate in  
  
Glen Oak, as well. The Slaabovians had decided to have their Californian-based Consulate in Glen  
  
Oak instead of any of the larger cities in California because they wanted to have it in a less-populated  
  
area, so as to remind them more of their own nation of Slaabovia, which was more of a rural nation  
  
than the United States evidently was. Slaabovia currently had a population of about 240,000,000 or so  
  
people in it, in an area about 1.1 million square miles, give or take about 100,000 or so square miles  
  
either way, at most. The Slaabovians had ten main languages that their people generally spoke,  
  
whenever possible, and other less-commonly-spoken languages or dialects, as already stated by  
  
Heather. Slaabinese was the main language of Slaabovia's people, with English and Hebrew the next  
  
two most-commonly-spoken languages, followed rather closely by Chinese in fourth, and Spanish in  
  
fifth. The other official languages, in no particular order here, were Dutch, French, Portuguese,  
  
German, and Danish. Latin was also spoken at least sometimes by a certain percentage of the  
  
population, but not as often by it as any or all of Slaabovia's ten main languages were, in fact.  
  
Slaabovia was a less-urbanized nation, at least for the most part, than the United States of  
  
America was. Its people were also more of a maritime-oriented kind of people than people in the  
  
United States now were, as well. This was largely due to the fact that their nation was in the middle of  
  
the Atlantic Ocean, in actual reality. Whether it was hidden or not from most people's view, it still was  
  
located somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Specifically, it was located somewhere in the North Atlantic  
  
Ocean are of Earth here. Its main islands and mainland stretched out about 1,000 Terran statute miles  
  
from north to south, and from east to west. Other islands were located near enough to their nation's  
  
main islands to be completely under Slaabovian control as well. There were currently nine states and  
  
two territories that were part of Slaabovia, in fact.  
  
The capital of Slaabovia was a place called Slaabojevo, and it had a total population of  
  
somewhere between nine and eleven million people, normally. Sometimes more, and sometimes less,  
  
as situations both allowed or required, of course. Slaabojevo was the largest city in its state, which was  
  
called "The Federal District of Slaabojevo", in fact. Other states in the country were Follisland,  
  
Bublitzania, Rainbowland, Ottosylvania, Olsontonia, Turtletania, Martinelandia, and Damonallo.   
  
Slaabovia's territories were the Territory of Turtleoklania and the Territory of Wellnitzalgo. The  
  
Territories hadn't yet achieved the required population levels to allow them to become States of the  
  
Slaabovian Republic, but they both hoped to reach them sometime in the next five or ten years, at the  
  
very latest, if at all possible.  
  
Slaabovia had once called itself the Kingdom of Cirriddiqua. It had eventually been discovered  
  
by chance sometime in the 15th Century AD. And it was eventually heavily colonized by various  
  
nations elsewhere in the world, after its presence was sufficiently known by people in those countries.   
  
For most, if not all, of the next three or four centuries, then, the Cirriddiquan/Slaabovian people sought  
  
to regain full independence from their occupiers that they'd had before their land's earlier discovery.   
  
Their greatest military and political leader, Clovidequano Dovatha, had led their people for much of his  
  
life in the 16th and 17th Centuries AD. But not even he could fully free their nation from foreign  
  
occupancy and control. He freed a substantial part of it from those foreign powers that were now  
  
present in his nation while he still was able to oppose them in his life, but not all of it, of course.  
  
Eventually, the main languages of all those various foreign powers were quite often spoken in  
  
the land of Cirriddiqua, for the obvious reasons, once they'd gotten entrenched firmly enough in the  
  
general population's consciousness, at least. And even after Cirriddiqua eventually became Slaabovia,  
  
those various languages remained quite commonly spoken by its people. Even after Slaabinese  
  
eventually regained its former status as the most spoken language in the nation, they still did so.  
  
But Matt and others in his life well enough didn't yet know all those things. Supposing that they  
  
ever would do that here, of course. Which might or might not actually be a very good possibility, in  
  
fact. Depending on how much of a chance any or all of them had to do so here, for all the obvious  
  
reasons. Matt, though, began to wonder, quite naturally enough, what the applicable runners had just  
  
said to him here. And because of that, he'd want to find out just what they'd said to him here, quite  
  
obviously enough.  
  
But that wasn't the main thing on his mind right now, in any case at all, in fact. What was the  
  
main thing on his mind now was to get Heather's cone back to his girlfriend as soon as possible, for the  
  
obvious reasons.  
  
He got the cone back to her before it began to melt too much, if at all. Which, quite naturally  
  
enough, pleased her considerably. He soon signed, "What do you know of this nation of Slaabovia,  
  
Heather?"  
  
"Not much at all, in fact, Matt. I'm just about as clueless about it as you are, if not even more  
  
than that, in actual reality."  
  
Matt and Heather then spent most, if not all, of at least the next two or three hours with each  
  
other on the Promenade, or in various nearby business establishments. But eventually, by 9:30 pm, at  
  
the very latest, Heather then told him, "I have plans for tomorrow with a few of my friends, Matt. I  
  
think we should call it a night now, if you don't mind too much."  
  
He rather reluctantly agreed with her here, and then he brought her back to her home elsewhere  
  
in Glen Oak. Her mother met them at the door, once Matt had rung their doorbell to let her know that  
  
he and Heather were back from their date on and near the Promenade. Her mother gave them a few  
  
more moments of privacy, after she saw that Heather had arrived back by her current curfew time of  
  
9:45 pm local time, in fact. And then Heather and Matt shared a few more very brief kisses between  
  
each other as they sat on a swinging bench just outside her family's Glen Oak residence. For they were  
  
boyfriend and girlfriend to each other currently. They didn't kiss more than a few more times, and not  
  
very passionately, for they really didn't want to do anything at all that they might later regret with each  
  
other here and now, of course. When her mother opened the front door again, then, Heather gave him  
  
one more rather brief kiss, before she went inside again, and left him on their porch's swinging bench.   
  
Matt then left a few seconds later, for all the obvious reasons.  
  
He then went home, and he eventually encountered his father Eric near the front door. Eric  
  
asked, "Did you have a good time with Heather tonight, Matt?"  
  
"Well enough. Do you know of a country called 'Slaabovia', by any chance, Dad?"  
  
"I don't think so. Why?"  
  
"Because I nearly collided with some people wearing track-style uniforms and sweats with that  
  
word on them, in fact, Dad, while I was with Heather. She was also reading a novel by some author  
  
from there, as well. I really don't think I've ever heard of the nation before, either, in actual reality."  
  
"I see. But I actually have heard that several currently unidentified nations have recently  
  
decided to put their Californian-based Consulates in this area, if they haven't already done so by now,  
  
just the same. I don't know what nations specifically yet, if I ever will, in fact, son. But I can try to find  
  
out, if you really want me to do so, Matt."  
  
"Only if you want to, Dad. No big deal, I guess. I'll find out soon enough, I suppose. Perhaps  
  
Ruthie might even be able to ask around and see if she can find out anything important enough about it.   
  
You know how she is, quite often, I know. She loves gathering information about various people and  
  
things that she can possibly find out about, I'm quite sure. And if anyone can actually learn a lot about  
  
this nation of Slaabovia among any of us at all, I really think that she's the one of us who might be able  
  
to learn about it the easiest, Dad."  
  
Eric and Matt conversed for a little while longer with each other, both near the front door and in  
  
the kitchen area, before Eric eventually said, "Son, I'm going to bed now. I have to get up early in the  
  
morning, and I want to be gone from here by 7 am, if at all possible. I have to go to Los Angeles with  
  
Reverend Hamilton to pick up his parents when they arrive at Los Angeles International Airport. For  
  
they'll be coming for a visit, and his brother can't pick them up easily enough from there, when they get  
  
to Los Angeles from Atlanta. His brother lives about halfway between here and Los Angeles, but he is  
  
currently on a business trip to Italy for his company. So he can't pick them up here. That means that  
  
Reverend Hamilton and I will have to pick them up, of course, here. I hope to return to Glen Oak by  
  
6:30 pm, if at all possible, with Reverend Hamilton and his parents, Matt."  
  
"Understood. And if we need to reach you while you're out with Reverend Hamilton?"  
  
"Your mother has the necessary numbers. Now I'd better get to bed, I suppose. Your  
  
mother's waiting for me upstairs, anyway. So I'd better get to bed now. When Simon and the others  
  
get in from their excursion to the pool hall with John and his siblings, tell them that I'd like them all in  
  
bed by 11, if at all possible, Matt."  
  
"Gotcha. Will do. Sleep well, then, Dad. And have a safe trip to LAX tomorrow, if at all  
  
possible, of course."  
  
"Of course I will, Matt. Supposing that God wills that to happen for us both here, quite  
  
naturally enough." Then Eric retired for the rest of the night, in very short order. Matt stayed up just a  
  
little bit longer, after Mary, Lucy, Simon, and Ruthie arrived back home again. John had driven them  
  
and several of his siblings to the pool hall sometime earlier that evening, after they'd all had an early  
  
supper at the Camdens' residence here in Glen Oak. It was just before 10:40 pm, when the first of  
  
them came back inside the Camdens' Glen Oak residence. John then briefly conversed with Matt after  
  
Mary, Lucy, and Simon had all gone to their rooms upstairs, before he and his own siblings then left for  
  
their own house again as well, in fact. Matt retired to his own room and bed, then, by 11:30 pm, local  
  
time, at the very latest. And then he was soon enough lost in any number of dreams as he then slept in  
  
his own bed, in actual reality, for all the obvious reasons, of course.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take  
  
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you  
  
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this  
  
story, after the above Chapter Two, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere  
  
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be  
  
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll  
  
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for  
  
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of  
  
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as  
  
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a  
  
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its  
  
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The  
  
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all  
  
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out! 


	4. Chapter Three: Some Slaabovians At GOHS

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in  
  
fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without further ado, back to the story. And I hope that you'll all enjoy it, of course.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles  
  
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe  
  
Chapter Three  
  
A few days later, it was now Tuesday, September 3, 1996. Matt and others started school  
  
again at the necessary Glen Oak area schools, whether or not they were new to the area or not.   
  
Among them were several new students, including at least three Suzuki children, if not more. Also new  
  
to the school district were several children of Slaabovian diplomatic personnel, of course. And they  
  
enrolled at the necessary school or schools in the area, for the obvious reasons here. The Slaabovians,  
  
in fact, often wore translation crystals or devices of some yet-unknown sort, for example, if they  
  
couldn't currently speak English well enough here, as well. The Slaabovians who were currently in  
  
question here that had to do so would normally wear these crystals or devices of some sort somewhere  
  
on their respective persons, quite naturally enough, as a matter of actual fact. And they'd all generally  
  
do that whenever possible, just so that others might be hopefully able to communicate with them  
  
somehow. Even if they weren't actually speaking the same language that any or all of the Slaabovians  
  
might possibly speak around them, of course.  
  
By the time that the first day of school for everyone had ended, then, Matt had met up with  
  
several of those Slaabovians, in fact. And Heather had introduced at least one of them to him, as well,  
  
in actual reality. She introduced him to several Slaabovians who were in their World Literature class,  
  
and they were quite glad to meet him, of course.  
  
One of the Slaabovians eventually said to him, when what she'd said was translated sufficiently  
  
well into English by her translation crystal in a pendant she was then wearing, "Pleased to meet you,  
  
Matt Camden. My name is Kalana Dalliver. I've heard from your girlfriend Heather here that you like  
  
to play pool a great deal. And that you're a minister's son, as well."  
  
"Yes, that's so, Miss Dalliver."  
  
"I'm also the third daughter of our nation's Consul General here at our Glen Oak Consulate, in  
  
fact. My parents were put in charge of this Consulate of our nation's by our nation's President,  
  
President Robert Dixon, of Follisland. We had a California-based Consulate in Oakland, before we  
  
relocated it here, in fact. Several of my friends are children of other diplomatic personnel of ours now  
  
here, as well. Our President Robert Dixon possibly looks a lot like a cross between your American  
  
actor Charlton Heston and your current President Reagan, I think. He has hair like Reagan's, and a  
  
personality and looks like Heston's, if I'm not mistaken. But he's only about fifty or so years old, just  
  
the same. My two older brothers look a lot like you as well, and they're about 24 or so years old now.   
  
My oldest sister quite possibly looks like a much younger version of Jane Seymour, while my second  
  
sister looks a lot like a younger version of Vanna White. I have been in the United States before at  
  
times, but not yet long enough to develop sufficient fluency in English, however. I can speak at least  
  
some Spanish and French in my life, Matt Camden. But my primary language of communication is  
  
actually Slaabinese, for your information."  
  
"What specific part of your country do you and your family come from, if I may ask?"  
  
"We come from the state of Follisland, as well. We come from a place known as 'Blue  
  
Moon', which is a town about the size of Glen Oak, I think, and it's near our state's border with  
  
Ottosylvania. Follisland and Ottosylvania are two of nine states in our nation, with the other states in it  
  
being the Federal District of Slaabojevo, Martinelandia, Bublitzania, Damonallo, Rainbowland,  
  
Turtletania, and Olsontonia. We also have two Territories for our own, and we call them the Territory  
  
of Turtleoklania and the Territory of Wellnitzalgo. We have a three-house legislature, a Prime Minister,  
  
a Chief Justice, and a President. Our Supreme Court has eleven members, led by the Chief Justice, of  
  
course. And our President has a Cabinet, just like yours does. Our Prime Minister heads the  
  
legislative branch, our President the executive branch, and our Chief Justice the judicial branch."  
  
"What do you like to do for fun?"  
  
"I like basketball very much, in fact."  
  
"Then I know someone who you might just like to meet eventually, if at all possible. My sister  
  
Mary really likes basketball, and she's quite good at it."  
  
"So Heather has told me, it seems. She tells me that you have several siblings, as well."  
  
Eventually, the school day ended, and Matt left the school with Heather and various others, for  
  
the obvious reasons. On his way out of Glen Oak High School's main building, he encountered Mary  
  
and Lucy walking in the same general direction that he now was walking in. They soon cornered him  
  
near their school's main entrance/exit area, and they both eventually asked him, "Did you know that  
  
there are a good number of new cute boys that will be going to school here, Matt?" Matt was carrying  
  
a mostly black and maroon backpack, and he also had his mostly maroon jacket slung a bit over his left  
  
shoulder right now.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure that there are, you two. Every year, any number of new boys start high school  
  
here. What's the big deal here, Lucy and Mary?"  
  
"Several of them seem quite handsome, in fact."  
  
"Well, judging from just the ones that John and I have met today, they don't seem all that  
  
special to me here."  
  
"Well, yeah, they wouldn't. You're a guy, of course. And you have a girlfriend in Heather. So  
  
other boys wouldn't seem all that special to you here!" exclaimed Mary.  
  
"True enough, Mary. But what of it?"  
  
"We're sure that there are a lot of rather cute girls that will be going to school here this year,  
  
Matt. And you're not at least a little curious about them?"  
  
"No. As you've said, I've got a girlfriend in Heather. So what difference does that make?"  
  
"From what Lucy and I have been able to gather about them, several of them seem to be quite  
  
interested in you right now, or soon enough will be."  
  
"Well, if that's true, so be it. But I won't worry about such things until I have to, just the same,  
  
Mary Camden," said Matt, as he then began slipping on his jacket, which he'd previously slung a bit  
  
over his left shoulder.  
  
"Are there any girls that you might want to get to know at least a little bit better, if at all  
  
possible?" asked Lucy.  
  
"Not really, Lucy. Remember, I have Heather as my girlfriend right now, Lucy. So I won't be  
  
looking for another girlfriend for at least a little while, for the obvious reasons, of course."  
  
Then the three Camdens left their school so that they could then pick up Simon and Ruthie from  
  
their respective schools, if they were both old enough to go to them, of course. And eventually, they all  
  
arrived home at the Camdens' residence, in very short order. When they got back home, Annie  
  
handed at least one or two of them several pieces of mail, once Simon and Ruthie had gone to their  
  
room. And she then told Matt that John was hoping to meet him at the pool hall later that evening, if at  
  
all possible. Matt said, "I think I have other plans for the evening, Mom. I'm going to the library for a  
  
while. Heather wanted me to meet her there by 6:15, if at all possible, in fact. Seems that she wants  
  
me to study at least a little with her this evening."  
  
"Fine. But I'd still really like you to be back home for the night by 11, at the very latest, if at all  
  
possible, Matt," said Annie.  
  
"Could we go to the library too, Mom?" asked Mary and Lucy.  
  
"No, I don't think you need to do that, you two. Besides, I don't think they'd want you to be  
  
near them for a while tonight, anyway, girls. Would you like it if people spied on you and Jimmy, for  
  
example, Lucy?"  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Well, I trust Matt and Heather will behave with each other, Lucy. Besides, they'd both be in a  
  
quite public place with each other, anyway. Right, Matt?"  
  
"Of course, Mother," said Matt.  
  
"Admit it, Matt. You might want to kiss her this evening," said Mary.  
  
"So what if I might want to, Mary? What business is it to you or Lucy, anyway?"  
  
"You're our older brother. That's why we're curious here," answered Mary.  
  
"Would you like it if I was obviously quite curious about any boys that you might actually want  
  
to date, and maybe even kiss, Mary?"  
  
"No, I don't suppose I would be, Matt," said Mary.  
  
"Then please don't bother me about this matter again, if you can possibly avoid it at all. At  
  
least until I say it's okay to do that again here, if I ever do, in any case at all. If there's something that I  
  
feel I need to talk to either or both of you two girls, Mary and Lucy, I'll let you know. Otherwise, it's  
  
not really any of your business here, you two."  
  
"But, Matt, we really want to know how things are going for you with Heather right now,"  
  
pleaded Lucy.  
  
"I'm not going to tell either of you right now, if I ever will, just how things are currently going for  
  
us in our romantic relationship, girls. Please don't bug me any more about this matter, or you'll have to  
  
face whatever the consequences of your actions might be for either or both of you here."  
  
"Mom, what do you think here?" asked Mary.  
  
"I'm sorry, girls. Matt is right. He and Heather have the right to have a certain level of privacy  
  
when it comes to their current romantic relationship with each other. Just as you each do, or will, have  
  
with any boys that you might like in your lives. I really don't want to find out that either of you is, or  
  
both of you are, trying to violate their romantic relationship's current privacy rights. For if I do, then  
  
your father and I will have to assign you whatever punishments we deem necessary for either of you or  
  
both of you, in fact. And I really don't think that you girls want to be punished in any conceivable  
  
enough way by us here, of course. So leave them alone here. If they want to hear from you about it,  
  
then they'll let you know, I'm quite sure. Now I don't want to hear or see another word about it, until  
  
and unless they say otherwise, girls. Now please go to your room and find something to occupy your  
  
time here, girls. I'll see you both at supper, at the very latest. And don't even think of trying to spy on  
  
them tonight, or any other night, without just cause. For you both know we'd then have to bust you, as  
  
we might then see fit, for all the obvious reasons."  
  
Lucy and Mary both thought about saying something more, in fact. But after a rather stern look  
  
from Annie, they both thought better of it here. They said and did nothing more here that might get  
  
them in trouble with Annie or Matt, of course. But they were still not very happy here, for the obvious  
  
reasons, of course. Annie and Matt watched them both rather reluctantly leave the Camdens' kitchen  
  
area again. And then, once they were both sure that they couldn't be heard by any possible nearby  
  
eavesdroppers, Annie asked, "What do you think John will think about you not being with him tonight,  
  
Matt?"  
  
"He might not like it. But I think he'll understand here, just the same. Or at least I hope that he  
  
will, of course."  
  
"If he calls again while you're out, then what should I tell him?"  
  
"Tell him I'll get back to him at school tomorrow, if at all possible. I realize he was expecting  
  
me to go to the pool hall with him this evening. But Heather had asked me to do this with her a while  
  
ago, in fact. As a matter of fact, she asked me to do that before my last time with John at the pool hall  
  
last week, Mom."  
  
"I see. Well, we can't disappoint her then here, can we?"  
  
"No, I don't think so. I realize that John might not have known about this plan of hers, for the  
  
obvious reasons, of course. But I don't want to have Heather mad at me at all, if I can avoid it,  
  
considering the current circumstances here. For I really care for her, and I know that we really missed  
  
each other quite a bit this summer."  
  
"Because she was in the Washington area, and you were here, for much, if not most or all, of it,  
  
by any chance at all, Matt?"  
  
"Yes, of course I mean that, Mother."  
  
Matt then put his mail in his jacket, and went to his room, in very short order. He still had his  
  
backpack hanging off his right shoulder, as well. He went to his room just after Annie handed him a  
  
plate with a sandwich, a few cookies, and a bottle of 2% white milk, in fact. And she didn't see him  
  
again for at least a few hours, if not even longer than that. As he left the kitchen area again, Annie  
  
heard his father Eric come in the front door. She then closed the refrigerator just a few seconds later,  
  
after putting back a bowl still largely filled with several kinds of freshly-made cookies in it.  
  
Eric then came right to the kitchen area of the Camdens' residence, and set his briefcase on a  
  
nearby stool. When he came in, Annie was slicing and dicing assorted vegetables for some stew she  
  
was in the process of preparing. He then went over to her, and kissed her briefly, yet passionately, on  
  
the lips, in fact.  
  
She asked, "What's going on? You seem quite happy right now, Eric. Care to tell me what's  
  
going on right now?"  
  
"I am going to have one of the novels that I've been working on for years published, Annie.   
  
I've been wanting to have one of them published for a few years now, as you know. And now Tyndale  
  
has seen fit to want to publish one of my novels."  
  
"Which one, if I may ask?"  
  
"You remember 'Adirondack Adventurer', Annie?"  
  
"Yes, I seem to recall a story by that name of yours."  
  
"Well, Tyndale thinks that it's worth at least $5,500 in advance payment."  
  
"I see. And what were you thinking of using the money for?"  
  
"Well, the church needs a little work in the playground and garden areas. And we could use  
  
some for whatever we might need it for around here."  
  
The two of them talked for at least a little while. And they continued to do so while he began  
  
helping her out in the kitchen area at least a little. Eventually, all the food that they decided to make for  
  
supper was ready, in fact. And then Annie and Eric decided to go to their bedroom for a while before  
  
supper. What they did there, though, would forever remain a mystery most likely known only to them  
  
and God, in fact. No matter what it might be, it still would forever remain a mystery to everyone but  
  
them and God, most likely. They remained in their room together for a few hours, at most, before  
  
supper at 7:30, in actual reality. They appeared out of their bedroom again only five minutes or so  
  
before supper. And they then had Lucy, Mary, Simon, and Ruthie begin to set the table in their dining  
  
room, of course. As the four present Camden children began setting the table, Eric and Annie began  
  
bringing the food to it, for the obvious reasons, quite naturally enough.  
  
******************************************************************************  
  
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take  
  
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you  
  
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this  
  
story, after the above Chapter Three, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere  
  
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be  
  
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll  
  
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for  
  
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of  
  
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as  
  
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a  
  
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its  
  
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The  
  
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all  
  
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out! 


	5. Chapter Four: Matt's Study Date

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that I  
  
now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may not  
  
actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise stated, in  
  
fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that matter.  
  
Now without further ado, back to the story. And I hope that you'll all enjoy it, of course.  
  
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles  
  
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Meanwhile, as four Camden children and their two parents were preparing to eat their suppers  
  
with each other this evening, Matt was with Heather in the necessary Glen Oak-area library. When  
  
he'd come into it at about 6:10 pm local time, Heather had set out a spiral-bound maroon and white  
  
notebook and an advanced chemistry textbook open in front of her. And a mostly blue pencil was in  
  
her hand, while she was taking, and checking, some notes related to her advanced chemistry class at  
  
Glen Oak High School. He soon found her in the library, and he went over to her here, of course.  
  
When he showed up in front of her, she greeted him again in a reasonably pleasant manner, in  
  
fact. She said, through some signing here, "I'm glad you could make it, Matt."  
  
In like manner, he said, "I don't think John will be, though, Heather."  
  
"Well, if he's not, then so be it. But we were intending to do this again a while ago, before your  
  
last trip to the pool hall with him. So I evidently had priority with you for at least tonight."  
  
"How do you suggest I make it up to him, if the need arises?"  
  
"Take him to the next available jazz or gospel music concert that's playing close enough to  
  
here, if at all possible, Matt."  
  
"I really don't know if and when Harry Connick, Jr. will be around here again. And I really  
  
don't honestly know if Wynton Marsalis and/or any other similar musicians will actually be around here  
  
in the near future, either, Heather."  
  
"I see. Well, then we'll have to just find another way to make it up to him, won't we?"  
  
"Sure, I suppose that you're right. I don't like hurting anyone's feelings unnecessarily, though.   
  
And I'm sure that he won't really be happy with me for a while for this time here with you, as well."  
  
"He's your best male friend, is he not?"  
  
"I believe so, Heather. But if that's so, then I think the potential for him to be hurt here is  
  
considerably greater than it might be with anyone else of our gender who's close enough to me in my  
  
life. Supposing, of course, that they're not actually members of my family, for the obvious reasons."  
  
The two of them studied for a few hours in the library, before they eventually decided to leave it  
  
again. And go do something else entirely, if at all possible, in fact, that didn't need them to stay on the  
  
library's grounds then. They chose to go to a nearby pizza place for their supper, as well. They went  
  
there for a little while, and they got there by 9:05 pm. They stayed at the pizza place for about half an  
  
hour or so, before they decided to go to her house for a little while. They stayed at her place for a little  
  
while, and they watched the 10 o'clock news together, when they did so. But eventually, Matt did  
  
have to leave, so that he'd meet his usual curfew time back at the Camdens' residence in Glen Oak.   
  
They parted on her front porch after a few kisses and embraces there, and then he left her alone again  
  
there. He was home again by 10:50 pm, and in his room no more than ten minutes after that time.  
  
He worked on his schoolwork for a little while longer at his desk, before leaving his room  
  
again, so that he could get a bedtime snack of milk and cookies. When he got to the Camdens' kitchen  
  
area, his sister Ruthie was apparently of the same mind here. He saw Ruthie before she saw him, and  
  
he said, "I see a little munchkin is raiding the cookie jar again."  
  
Ruthie heard him say that, and she then carefully took out one or two more cookies from the  
  
cookie jar now in question. She put those cookies on a plate that already had a few cookies on it, in  
  
fact. She then just as carefully put the lid back on it, as he took out some milk from the nearby  
  
refrigerator. After the milk was gotten, he then took out two cups from nearby cupboards for them  
  
both to use here, of course. He then brought the cups, milk, and cookies to the nearest table here, and  
  
had her follow him to it, quite naturally enough.  
  
When they were both seated well enough to suit them both here, Ruthie then asked, "How was  
  
your night tonight, Matt?"  
  
He smiled, and said to her, as he did so, "Fine, Ruthie. Just fine. Heather and I had a good  
  
time tonight at the library, a pizza place, and her house for a while, in fact."  
  
"And how soon are you going to try to make it up to John for not being with him tonight where  
  
he wanted to, Matt?"  
  
"As soon as I can, of course, Ruthie," said Matt, as he took a bite of a cookie and she took a  
  
sip of some milk here.  
  
"Did you and Heather come up with some good enough ideas to do that well enough, Matt, in  
  
your opinion?"  
  
"I really don't know yet. Perhaps we'll be able to try them out sometime soon, and perhaps  
  
we won't. But only time will tell if we'll be able to do any or all of them soon enough, for the obvious  
  
reasons, munchkin."  
  
"Of course it will. God willing, of course."  
  
As they consumed some milk and cookies in the Camdens' kitchen area, they conversed with  
  
each other at least a little more. And they did so here until just after they finished the aforementioned  
  
milk and cookies that they'd gotten for themselves. They didn't drink all the milk, in fact, from the jug  
  
of milk he'd just gotten out of the fridge. But they still did have at least one or two cups apiece from it,  
  
just the same, before they put what was still left in the jug back into the fridge again as needed.  
  
Then they both soon retired for the rest of the night, so that they'd hopefully get at least some  
  
sleep for the rest of it. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons here, no doubt. They were both  
  
quite soundly asleep in their own beds again by local midnight, and quite lost in any of the countless  
  
lands of dreams that might or might not actually exist anywhere in the Universe, in fact.  
  
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take  
  
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when you  
  
might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening of this  
  
story, after the above Chapter Four, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be somewhere  
  
around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that you might be  
  
more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or I may not. It'll  
  
depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course. But not entirely, for  
  
all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if not any other stories of  
  
mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines, realities, and/or universes, as  
  
well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters in it, at least a little bit, if not a  
  
lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other stories of mine that might feature its  
  
main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in fact. Until later, then, this is now "The  
  
Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of course, if at all possible. Also, if at all  
  
possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here, readers! Over and out! 


	6. Chapter Five: Simon Gets Some Bad News

All standard disclaimers that I have already used so far with any of the various stories that  
  
I now have on fanfiction.net will apply. For your information, all of the characters that you may  
  
not actually recognize well enough in this story are original characters of mine, unless otherwise  
  
stated, in fact. So please don't steal my original characters from this story or any others, for that  
  
matter.  
  
Now without further ado, back to the story. And I hope that you'll all enjoy it, of course.  
  
7th Heaven: The Glen Oak Chronicles  
  
Introduction To The Camdens' Universe  
  
Chapter Five  
  
The following day, as the Camden children were getting ready for the day ahead, whether or  
  
not they were old enough to go to school, Simon nearly collided with Matt as they were both  
  
descending the back stairway into the Camdens' kitchen area. Matt said, "Watch it, Simon. You  
  
don't want to fall flat on your face, I hope, as you come down the stairs."  
  
"Matt, you're where I was going," said Simon.  
  
"What's the hurry, Kiddo?"  
  
"Deanna's waiting for me at the end of the driveway. Seems she wants to talk to me about  
  
something."  
  
"Could she be wanting you to go steady, perhaps?"  
  
"No, of course not, Matt. Whatever gave you that idea?"  
  
"Just a thought. You seem to be trying to spend a lot of time with her of late, whenever  
  
possible, Simon. I was just wondering if that might possibly be the case now."  
  
"I can't afford to go steady right now, Matt. I don't even have a job. How in the world am  
  
I going to be able to afford a steady girlfriend at the current time, Matt?"  
  
"True enough, I suppose. What about the future, then?"  
  
"What about it?" They began getting some food for themselves to consume for their  
  
breakfasts, then, just as soon as Ruthie, Lucy, and Mary had done the same well enough here.  
  
"Might you someday want to marry her, Simon?"  
  
"Not until I'm at least out of high school, of course, Matt. What kind of guy do you think I  
  
am? How in the world would I be able to afford a wife while I was still in high school? I really don't  
  
think that I possibly could, Matt."  
  
"Write a book or something about how you want to strike it rich somehow in the future,  
  
Simon." They both sat down at the Camdens' table, and began to have their breakfasts with Lucy,  
  
Mary, and Ruthie, at the very least. If not also Annie and/or Eric, for that matter.  
  
"Like anyone would want to read a book like that from me in the next five or ten years? Get  
  
real, Matt. Or are you totally gone on something I don't even know of yet?"  
  
"No, I'm not totally gone on anything, thank you very much, Simon."  
  
"Relax, Matt," said Mary. "He's just being Simon, of course."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean, Mary?" asked Simon.  
  
"All hurry for something he may not need to worry about, I think."  
  
"How would you know, Beanie?"  
  
"Feminine intuition, you might say," said Mary.  
  
"Well, Deanna seemed really worried when I talked to her last night on the phone."  
  
"Is that so, Simon?" asked Lucy.  
  
"I wonder if something is wrong with her. She seems to be quite worried about something,  
  
and I have no idea what that might be, in fact."  
  
Annie then walked into the room, and said, "Simon, Deanna's wondering when you'll be out  
  
at the end of the driveway."  
  
"I'll be there shortly." He then quickly finished the rest of his breakfast, and grabbed up all  
  
his necessary things here, on the way out to the driveway to see Deanna for a little while.  
  
"Mom, do you have any idea what this is all about here?" asked Ruthie.  
  
"No, I don't. But whatever is going on here, I hope that everything will work out well enough  
  
for the both of them, of course, Ruthie."  
  
"I hope it's not really bad, whatever it is," said Lucy.  
  
"So do I, Lucy. But if it is, then let's all hope that the both of them will be able to deal with  
  
it well enough in their lives, of course," said Annie.  
  
The remaining Camden children then spent most, if not all, of the rest of their breakfasts in  
  
relative silence, only speaking when necessary here. This was because a feeling of concern had begun  
  
to come over them all here, in fact. And they didn't really want to say or do anything that might make  
  
things worse here. Or at least not before they knew what was now going on with Simon and Deanna  
  
here well enough, if at all, by the way. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons, no doubt.  
  
After a while, Simon came back in, and said, "Deanna's apparently going to Japan this winter,  
  
and she'd rather stay here. Her family's apparently moving to Japan after the first of the year, because  
  
her father's company sent him there for a while. And another family's apparently moving in from  
  
there to here."  
  
"Deanna's moving to Japan?" asked Mary.  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid that she might be. And we both don't want her to go there then."  
  
"Simon, when does she have to be over there by, if she does go there?"  
  
"The end of the first full week of January, Mom. Can't you and Dad try to do something that  
  
might keep her and her family here in Glen Oak for a while longer?"  
  
"I don't know, Simon, but I'll see what we can do, just the same."  
  
"I don't want her to go away, and she doesn't want to go away, either."  
  
"I understand that, Simon. But maybe there is a reason that we can't see yet that might  
  
explain why Deanna's family is apparently moving to Japan from here. Maybe not. Whatever the  
  
case might be, I just don't know yet, of course. But if she does go, I still do trust that God has a good  
  
enough reason for her to go over there."  
  
"Why can't it wait until next summer, at the very earliest?"  
  
"Maybe it can. Maybe it can't. We'll just have to wait and see what God has in store for  
  
everyone concerned here, of course, Simon. Now, if I'm not too mistaken, it's about time for all of  
  
you who are school-aged kids to get to school."  
  
Annie then began to distribute sack lunches to all her school-aged children, before they all  
  
exited the Camden residence, for the obvious reasons. And then she went to find Eric in his home  
  
office, in very short order.  
  
Eric saw her come in, and asked, once they were behind a sufficiently-secured office door,  
  
"What's the matter, Annie?"  
  
"Simon's upset about something."  
  
"What's the matter with Simon now?"  
  
"Apparently Deanna is moving to Japan, and neither he nor Deanna are very happy about that  
  
here. He would like us to see what we can do to keep it from happening, Eric."  
  
"I see. And what do you think we might be able to do?"  
  
"Couldn't we actually both try to find a job for Deanna's father that would allow him and his  
  
family to stay here?"  
  
"I suppose we could. But I have this strange feeling that that's not what God has in His plan  
  
for Simon, Deanna, and Deanna's family right now, at least. I can't explain it right now, but I just   
  
have such a feeling here, Annie."  
  
"We've got to do something, don't we?"  
  
"Let's wait and see what happens around here for a little while, Annie. Let's see if we can  
  
learn anything more about what might be happening here, before we do anything major enough."  
  
"I don't really want Simon to have a broken heart at his age right now."  
  
"Nor do I. But we aren't in control of this world, no matter how we might prefer otherwise,  
  
Annie dear. So we have to wait for a while, I think, to see what happens for everyone concerned here  
  
well enough. Perhaps later, we might be able to do something here. But right now, no matter what,  
  
we'll let the chips fall where they may here, so to speak."  
  
"Are you sure that's best here?"  
  
"It may not be, Annie. But I'm willing to trust that God knows what He's doing here better  
  
than we might realize yet. So, Annie, we're going to wait for now, at least. As head of the household,   
  
this is my direction, as of the current time. If things change enough to allow me to say otherwise, then  
  
you'll be the first one I'll let know around here, of course."  
  
"As you wish, Eric. As head of the household, your word is law, here. I see no reason to  
  
challenge this decision of yours, at this time, if I ever will. I do believe that you're acting in a proper  
  
leadership role, at this time, at least. So I'll obey you here, at least publicly, of course."  
  
"Thank you, Annie. Is that all you wanted to speak to me about at the current time?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I believe that it is."  
  
"Understood. Do we have any of the donuts left from last night?"  
  
"No, I don't think we do. I believe the kids ate the last of them for breakfast a little while ago.   
  
If they didn't, did you want them to save at least one of them for you to eat later on?"  
  
"It would have been nice if they had, if they didn't, of course."  
  
"If they did, would you like me to leave it or them in the fridge for you to have later?"  
  
"Yes, please, of course."  
  
"I have other things to do right now, I think. So I'd best get to them, of course."  
  
"Understood. Might I have a kiss, though, before you go, honey?"  
  
"I suppose so." Annie came to where he was sitting behind his office desk, and then she gave  
  
him a brief, yet passionate, kiss on his lips for a few seconds. After she did so, he said, "You smell  
  
sweet right now. I wonder if you're wearing a new perfume or something?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know?"  
  
"I would. But I can wait, I suppose, to find out."  
  
"Wait until tonight, and then you'll see, Eric!" She then suddenly sashayed slinkily out of his  
  
office, with a very wide schoolgirlish-like grin on her face as she did so. And then she quietly shut  
  
the door behind her after leaving his office again. She didn't know what was yet to come here for her  
  
or Eric on the current day, of course, but she was now in a quite mischievous mood at the current  
  
time. So she continued to sashay all through the house for a while, as if nobody was watching except  
  
for God and the angels above, in fact.  
  
Little did Eric know just what she was beginning to plan for him later that very day or night.   
  
But he'd eventually find out, if at all possible, before midnight came and went again in Glen Oak's  
  
own local area, in fact. This, of course, was for all the obvious reasons here.  
  
I haven't yet decided the eventual romantic pairings for Eric and Annie's kids here. I will take  
  
suggestions, if they're clean enough, and appropriate enough for them, in fact. Though, if and when  
  
you might make those suggestions, please try to keep in mind this simple fact here. As of the opening  
  
of this story, after the above Chapter Five, the current year in the Camdens' Universe will be  
  
somewhere around 1996 or 1997, as the case might then be. I may actually use the characters that  
  
you might be more familiar with from the actual TV series as potential girlfriends or boyfriends, or  
  
I may not. It'll depend a lot on what you people want me to have for them, most likely, of course.   
  
But not entirely, for all the obvious reasons. And please be aware that this story of mine, at least, if  
  
not any other stories of mine as well, may periodically delve into the areas of alternate timelines,  
  
realities, and/or universes, as well as have at least some OOC elements for any or all of the characters  
  
in it, at least a little bit, if not a lot. And it may or may not actually tie in with any number of other  
  
stories of mine that might feature its main characters, at least on the protagonists' side of things, in  
  
fact. Until later, then, this is now "The Universal Storyteller" signing off. Take care, and all that, of  
  
course, if at all possible. Also, if at all possible, please do read, review, and enjoy this story here,  
  
readers! Over and out! 


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